Showing posts with label Paul Beatty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul Beatty. Show all posts

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Lovely Books and Things - 7.8.17

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update

Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)

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I contemplating selling books online as I continue to organize and purge books from my shelves. I would love to hear any comments on experiences with selling used books via Amazon.

The rest of the books I am selling to used book stores and then the remaining are being donated to the library or to the Little Free Library stands people have set up in their neighborhoods.

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Bought:

Six Four
by Hideo Yokoyama
translated by Jonathan Lloyd-Davies
-Mystery, Thriller, Japan
Amazon | Goodreads

THIS is one of those books that kept calling to me at every bookstore visit. It is a chunkster and begs to be read. After my dystopia binge read in the Fall. I plan on a Japan binge read for Winter.

The Sellout
by Paul Beatty
-Literary, Humor
Amazon | Goodreads

GOT this for Book Passage Book Club (here) - December book. I tried listening to the audio version of this last year, but did not get into it. Going to give the print version a go especially since it has won a few literary prizes.

A Manual for Cleaning Women:
Selected Stories
by Lucia Berlin
-Literary, Short Stories
Amazon | Goodreads

GOT this for Book Passage Book Club (here) - October book.

It
by Stephen King
-Horror
Amazon | Goodreads

IN anticipation of the movie release in September and for IT parade mentioned below.


Review:

The Little Queen
by Meia Geddes
-Coming of Age, Fairy Tale
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

SOUNDS like a magical one.


OTHER things (kinda book-related):

Stephen King IT Parade
hosted by Daniel Kraus (details)
July 10 - September 4, 2017

JOINED the Stephen King IT Parade where author/editor Daniel Kraus posts a 10-week journal of re-reading King’s classic. He is inviting folks to join in this venture and then watch the movie version which will be released September 8.


AND watched: in theatre

The Ornithologist (2016)
Director/Writer: João Pedro Rodrigues
Starring: Paul Hamy, Xelo Cagiao
-Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Portugal | imdb | my rating: 5

Fernando, a solitary ornithologist, is looking for black storks when he is swept away by the rapids. Rescued by a couple of Chinese pilgrims, he plunges into an eerie and dark forest, trying to get back on his track.

THIS is one that created much discussion and thoughts after the viewing. I want to rewatch it to catch more of the underlying messages. Beautifully made in regards to cinematography.


WE were treated to a live cello performance of a couple of the musical pieces on the soundtrack by the composer, Séverine Ballon. Mesmerizing music. -photo by Aberswyth

AND watched: on DVD

Binge-ing on Johnnie To films, because he will be in town the first week of August.

Running on Karma (2003)
Daai zek lou (original title)
Directors: Johnnie To, Wai Ka Fai
Screenplay: Wai Ka Fai, Yau Nai Hoi, Au Kin Yee, Yip Tin-Shing
Starring: Andy Lau, Cecilia Cheung, Siu-Fai Cheung
-Action, Drama, Thriller, Hong Kong | imdb | my rating: 5

A monk turned body-builder, with the gift to see into people's lives, befriends a female cop, and uses his gift to change the force of Karma and her destiny.

THIS was a fun one with Andy Lau in a buff body suit.

Fulltime Killer (2001)
Chuen jik sat sau (original title)
Directors: Johnnie To, Wai Ka Fai
Screenplay: Wai Ka Fai, Joey O'Bryan
Based on book by: Edmond Pang
Starring: Andy Lau, Takashi Sorimachi, Kelly Lin
-Action, Crime, Drama, Hong Kong | imdb | my rating: 5

Two very different hitmen find themselves to be in each other's way. They use all their skill to solve the problem.

LIKED how this incorporated some American pop culture -- Point Break.

Running Out of Time 2 (2001)
Am zin 2 (original title)
Director: Wing-Cheong Law, Johnnie To
Writers: Nai-Hoi Yau, Kin-Yee Au
Starring: Ching Wan Lau, Ekin Cheng, Kelly Lin
-Crime, Action, Hong Kong | imdb | my rating: 3

Ho Sheung Sang finds himself wrapped up in another cat-and-mouse game, this time against a tricky magician.

Three (2016)
San ren xing (original title)
Director: Johnnie To
Screenplay: Ho Leung Lau, Tin Shu Mak, Nai-Hoi Yau
Starring: Louis Koo, Wei Zhao, Wallace Chung
-Action, Crime, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 3

Realizing that he will be defeated in no time during a police showdown, a thug shoots himself to force the cops to cease fire and take him to the hospital. In the hospital, he claims human rights to refuse immediate treatment in order to bide time for his underlings to rescue him. The detective in charge sees through his scheme but decides to play along so as to capture his whole gang once and for all. - Written by DooK

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* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

:-)

Friday, February 17, 2017

Book Passage Literary Prize Book Group

Potpourri of Literary Prizes 2017
with Carol Benet
Book Passage in Corte Madera (details)

This group reads authors that have won literary prizes including the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle.

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I decided to join another face-to-face book group. The theme for this one has a focus on literary prize winning books. I am looking forward to experiencing and analyzing these books. And, most of all, discovering why they made it to the prestigious top.

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Picks for January to June:

Eileen
by Ottessa Moshfegh
-Historical, Mystery, Thriller
Pen/Hemingway Award 2016
Amazon | Goodreads | my review


The Vegetarian
by Han Kang
-Literary, Korea
Man Booker International Prize 2016
Powells | Amazon | Goodreads | my review


how to be both
by Ali Smith
-Art, Historical, Literary
Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2015
Costa Novel Award 2014
Goldsmiths Award 2014
Amazon | Goodreads | my review


Libra
by Don DeLillo
-Historical, Literary
Irish Times International Fiction Prize 1989
Amazon | Goodreads | my review


The Sound of Things Falling
by Juan Gabriel Vasquez
-Literary, Historical
International Dublin Literary Award 2014
Amazon | Goodreads | my review

Picks for September to January:

The Land at the End of the World
by António Lobo Antunes
-Literary, Portugal
Amazon | Goodreads

A Manual for Cleaning Women:
Selected Stories
by Lucia Berlin
-Literary, Short Stories
Amazon | Goodreads

A Horse Walks Into a Bar
by David Grossman
-Literary, Israel, Jewish
Booker International Prize
Amazon | Goodreads

The Sellout
by Paul Beatty
-Literary, Humor
Amazon | Goodreads

Judas
by Amos Oz
-Literary, Jewish
The Man Booker International Prize 2017 shortlist
Amazon | Goodreads



 
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